We spoke this week with Fred Astman and Scott Hood, chairman and president, respectively,  of First Wilshire Securities. They spoke to us about a number of companies that First Wilshire invests in, but the one that really got them going was the company IMAX (IMAX), who make the enormous movie screens we all know and love.

• Until a few years ago, IMAX was a documentary science center museum exhibitor.
• IMAX realized that the movie experience they were providing was really great, and they figured out a way convert Hollywood movies to IMAX screens.
• The result were astronomical; whereas most movie screens are on the decline, with 60% or 70% sell out rates, IMAX screens remain at 90% sell out rate, and are competitive even with the most advanced home entertainment centers.
• With filmmakers switching over to digital format completely in the next few years, the fact that IMAX can just send a hard drive to a theatre saves a huge amount on printing costs. This system, it has been announced, will come out earlier than expected.

For the full interview with Mr. Astman and Mr. Hood, including an in depth look at their investment strategy and more stock picks, click here.

This entry was posted on Friday, November 16th, 2007 at 5:36 pm and is filed under General Investing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.